Chris Robinson, the singer of the Black Crowes, once said, “With time and experience comes a different perception of what’s going on around you.” Aldous Huxley, the English writer and novelist, gave it to us like this, “There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” Then the great Jim Brown broke it down like an ole playa at a pimp’ convention when he spit, “I’m not interested in trying to work on people’s perceptions. I am who I am, and if you don’t take the time to learn about that, then your perception is going to be your problem.”

Well playas…the problem that some folks are havin’ with Cam Newton is their issue with perception. We’ve talked all week about how race is playin’ a factor in the negative perception duns are havin’ of this young cat and everybody and their baby’s momma’s momma, Ms. Jackson, has an opinion of it. We’ve seen duns pull studies on “race and perception of black athletes celebrations” from Harvard and various other top flight universities to address the obvious double standard that exists in this country. We’ve seen duns try to even act like it doesn’t exist and that black folks are just makin’ this foolishness up like they always do. We’ve even witnessed Charles Barkley “dancin’ a jig” along with Stacey Dash as I explained in my Hot Joint this week entitled “Dancin'” for the mainstream to make black folks and Cam especially, look like idiots for even suggestin’ such a thing.

However, ESPN analyst Ryan Clark said something this week that made some folks feel a little more comfortable with how they feel about Cam and it sounded good but he was still wrong. Ole boy said that this isn’t about race, it’s about culture. He said that people aren’t upset with Cam because he’s black but because of his culture. He said that they don’t understand it. He’s young and hip hop (that’s watered down for street), he’s very in your face and unapologetic. He’s too urban. That makes some white folks uncomfortable. They weren’t uncomfortable with Russell Wilson because he’s more relatable to them. He doesn’t dance, he isn’t in your face etc. He doesn’t hang out with Jeezy and J. Cole or other rappers etc. He’s just a normal guy in their minds.

He doesn’t dance because he can’t, accordin’ to Clark. He goes on to say that duns are more acceptin’ of what they are more comfortable with. They can relate to Gronk bein’ awkward and tryin’ to dance because they are to some degree awkward themselves. So it’s not about race, it’s about culture.

Well playboy, let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! Ryan Clark made that assessment of this foolishness because he’s too young to know any better. It’s sounded good but in order to know the truth of how things work you’ve got to understand the history of this country and race. Duns aren’t uncomfortable with Russell Wilson because in their minds Russ is a black guy that knows his place. He’s what the ole racist in this country used to call a “Good N-word” because he goes to work and stays in his place. Just so you don’t think that I’m makin’ this foolishness up accordin’ to Robert Livingston, a lecturer on public policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government said in an email to ole girl, Nancy Armour from USA Today, that wrote the crazy hot joint this week on Cam, I might add, that, “(Minorities) are expected to do their jobs quietly, without making a fuss.” And unfortunately for some racist folks in this country, Cam isn’t doin’ that playa.

However, Russell Wilson isn’t flamboyant, he isn’t in your face with his culture of bein’ street or hip hop whichever you perfer. Now, he’s not doin’ it on purpose he’s just bein’ himself. He’s a very nice and mellowed out kid that grew up in a different type of environment than someone like Cam, myself or like any other urban cats grew up in. The racist doesn’t like him because he’s black but he’ll tolerate him as long as he stays in his place. If you don’t believe what I’m sayin’ bruh, go talk to Big Momma that 70 plus years old and she’ll tell you.

Back in the day the outward racist in this country would say that black folks need to stay in their place and those that didn’t they would call an “Upperty N-word.” These are facts bruh. I’m not makin’ this foolishness up. Well… in the minds of people that still think that way today, Cam is just that. If you don’t believe me get on social media and read it for yourself. They’re callin’ him every N-word imaginable and it’s a darn shame in 2016 that people still think and talk this way.

Think about it bruh. Just two years ago we had Peyton Manning vs. Russell Wilson in the Super Bowl and the subject of race never came up. We had the same scenario of “black quarterback vs. white quarterback” and nobody even paid attention to it. Why? Because duns like Russell Wilson aren’t viewed as bein’ black to mainstream America because he’s very unassumin’. Most black folks didn’t even pay attention to it because they can’t relate to Russell Wilson. Why? Because he doesn’t have the personality of the young urban cat that appeals to them like Cam does. And I’m not talkin’ about rich vs. middle class vs. poor black folks because urban black culture extends outside of the reach of the ghetto. There are black kids with bread that act, talk and dress like poor black kids in the ghetto. There are rich white kids in the suburbs that want to be black by the way that they act and dress. Black culture has taken over the commercialization of products in every facet of marketing.

There’s not anything wrong with it but it’s the truth. Russell Wilson isn’t the only black athlete loved or accepted by racists folks in this country. Boyz like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Charles Barkley, O.J. Simpson (before the murder trial) aren’t looked at as bein’ black by mainstream media and fans. Why? Because they don’t identify with black folks on issues of race and culture and they stay away from urban conversations. At least Barkley will have an opinion on something, albeit wrong, but I’ll at least give him credit for speakin’ his mind. Duns like Mike and Tiger will NEVER voice an opinion about ANYTHING that has to do with race and culture and won’t EVER do anything to identify with urban Black America. The only thing Jordan will do is sell a boy in the hood some sneakers.

Ryan Clark did a great job of waterin’ down this topic but he was wrong even though it sounded good. In order to have a real conversation about race, we as Americans need to be willin’ to peal the layers of the onion back and have real dialogue without bein’ afraid to hurt folks feelings. Charles said that we shouldn’t be usin’ sports to talk race because there are other more important issues involvin’ race that we should be discussin’.

Well… let me put it where the goats can get it bruh. These very issues of perception are the very problems that cause all of the other issues of race in this country. When people have the audacity to look down their noses at another race of people as bein’ inferior to them. It becomes very easy for police officers to, at an alarmin’ rate, kill unarmed black folks without public outrage from ALL races of people. And we SHOULDN’T think that it’s acceptable for the police to do everything in their power to negotiate with a gang of white cats in Oregon that took over a federal wildlife refuge with guns and threatenin’ to use them more than a month ago.

It’s UNACCEPTABLE for people to say that Michael Brown, who by all reports had no gun and his hands were up, SHOULD have been killed because he was a thug. Just as it’s UNACCEPTABLE to say that the Oregon gang leader, Robert “Levoy” Finicum, was murdered when video tape clearly shows him with his hands up only to reach for the 9-millimeter weapon that was in his pocket. He wasn’t murdered! He was justifiably killed. Those police officers have EVERY right to make it back home to their families at the end of a work day whether the suspect was black or white or whether the cops were black or white.

It’s perception that allows this type of foolishness to play out. I want what’s right for ALL people not just for black folks. If you’re wrong you’re wrong and if you’re right you’re right. If you’re goin’ hate Cam for celebratin’ then hate Aaron Rogers for doin’ the same thing. Then I’m cool!! And if we don’t talk about race in these instances when are we EVER goin’ to talk about it. Stop me when I start lyin’!